On The Line
by cojiesmama
Summary: Chatting. Terrorist threats. Planes. And DannyLindsay. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

She's laughing in front of her PC.

Lindsay Monroe had the simplest, little laugh. She didn't mind that her boss, Mac Taylor, was pacing to and from the halls. He had that serious look again, as he always does. She tried to suppress another laugh but something she read on the screen made her chuckle again.

_DMesser: Mac passed by, didn't he?_

Lindsay started to type on her keyboard.

_LMonroe: Yeah. He had that deadpan, thoughtful look._

After a few minutes another message appears.

_DMesser: You never really know what he's thinking. It could either be a serial killer he hasn't catched or the last word he needs to finish his crossword puzzle._

Lindsay laughs.

_DMesser: You got the photos?_

_LMonroe: Yeah. I'm printing them now. _

Lindsay looks at the printer. They were photos from a convention of some kind. Danny was in it, Flack too, along with several other uniformed men ---- Navy Seals, Marines, SWAT teams, firefighters.

Lindsay started to type again.

_LMonroe: You and Flack look like dorks next to the Marines._

_DMesser: But we smell better._

Lindsay held the pictures in her hands. Danny didn't tower like the other uniformed men, but he was certainly an eye-catcher.

_LMonroe: You know, you could have just waited to land and then printed these photos yourself._

_DMesser: And pass up the opportunity of using the INTERNET ON A PLANE!_

Lindsay started to laugh again.

_DMesser: Internet on a Plane, Montana. _

_DMesser: Plane Internet. _

_DMesser: Internet Plane. _

_DMesser: Bet you haven't done that before._

_LMonroe: You and your cheap thrills._

Lindsay stopped typing. The cursor blinked. Another message showed up.

_DMesser: Plus I kinda miss you._

Lindsay couldn't help but smile. She bit her lip, then started to type again.

_LMonroe: Whatever, Messer._

Hawkes knocks on the glass door, hurriedly. He mouths "Mac" to Lindsay then runs off.

_LMonroe: I gotta go. Mac's looking for me. Will you still be online when I get back?_

_DMesser: Unlimited PLANE internet for $30, baby._

Lindsay smiled, stood up from her chair and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Mac seemed like he was in his Marine mode. There was definitely something up. The whole NYPD was in a conference-like room. Mac was standing in front of them with charts and a laptop on a table. Stella Bonasera stood beside him. She looked agitated but she was trying to hide it. Lindsay didn't like the look of this.

"Thank you for coming" Mac's voice silenced the whole room. He scanned the faces before him. He saw Lindsay and fixed his eyes on her.

Lindsay definitely didn't like this.

"This morning the FBI received an anonymous phone call from a man who introduced himself only as Veritas. He said that he was the leader of a rebel group who has proof that the 9-11 attacks were perpetrated by the Republican government." Mac narrated.

There were murmurs in the room. Everyone exchanged worried looks.

"His group claims to have hi-jacked a plane en route to New York City" Mac continued "THE FBI then alerted the airlines carrying the said plane and they said that they lost communication with the plane since it took off this morning."

Mac turned to Stella. The murmurs got louder.

"Quiet please" Stella said in her booming, yet feminine voice. "The FBI has cautioned us to keep this information to ourselves. They had debated whether to even inform us about this but given the personalities involved, they had to put the NYPD in the loop"

A police officer raised his hand. "Have we confirmed any of this?"

"As of now, nothing is definite" Mac answered. "But loss of communication, and the flight was supposed to arrive in 30 minutes, gives us enough doubt as to the plane's safety. Air traffic control places the plane 1000 km from its destination. The plane is nowhere near New York City".

"Have they made any threats? Demands?" another police officer asked.

"No demands. Just the opportunity to be heard" Stella answered. "As for threats" she paused. "They claim to have 100 lbs worth of C4 on the plane which they will detonate by midnight today".

The murmurs have now become stifled screams and swearing.

"Who's on the plane?" Lindsay asked, trying to get her small voice heard.

Mac looked at her, not knowing what to say. He looked at Stella. Stella just sat on the chair by the table.

"The plane is transporting 150 uniformed men, from the Marines, the Navy, the Army, FBI agents, and the NYPD" Mac paused. "As you know, there was a 9-11 convention in LA last week and our colleagues Detective Don Flack and Detective Danny Messer were sent there as representatives" Mac continued.

Lindsay looked like she was going to faint. She held on Hawkes' arm.

"The plane that was hijacked is Flight 454."

Lindsay turned to Hawkes. "Danny's plane" she said in a whisper.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're pathetic, you know that" Flack told Danny, who was still giddy with excitement over his new gadget.

"You're just jealous because you blew all your money on Lakers tickets." Danny closed his laptop. "Look at it."

Danny lifts his new Sony Vaio with one hand. "It's beautiful, light-weight, practical. I got enough storage space here to upload every New Yorker on CODIS."

"I'm not talking about the laptop" Flack said. "I'm talking about your 10th grade flirting. How long has it been? Eight months? A year? You work with her almost every hour of every day? And all you can tell her is you miss her? You disappoint me, Messer"

"A lot of work but she's worth it" Danny said as he pulled down the food tray in front of him "See? It's so small it fits inside this little space here"

Danny shoved the laptop inside the food tray and locks it back up.

Just then, a voice on the intercom makes an announcement, as four men in black came out of the first class cabin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. My name is Special Agent Daniel Fox with the FBI. Let me just say that I am truly honored to be in the presence of the men and women who have given their lives to serve and protect the citizens of this great country. Our brotherhood has taken over this plane…."

At these words, the people in the plane started to stand up and look at each other, while the men in black just stood there --- all of them about six feet tall, buff --- looking at them menacingly.

"What the hell is going on?" Flack whispered to Danny.

"…..however we assure you that no harm has come to Captain Derek Holman and his co-pilot Sean Millikan, as no harm will come to anyone else on this plane" the voice continued.

The men in black produced from their backs duffel bags, and they split into twos as they walked along the aisles.

"For our mutual protection, Agents Sommers, Cavanaugh, Melendez and Finn will be going around, collecting your guns, pocket knives and communication devices, cellphones, PDAs. We know that you're not supposed to be packing guns, but as you and I both know, we can't trust airport officials" the voice said.

As the men in black made their rounds, the men and women on the plane took out their guns and their cellphones and dropped it in the duffel bags as the FBI agents passed.

"If you look out your window, you will see that we are flying about 100 miles above the Hudson River. We have enough fuel to stay in the air for 10 hours, upon which we expect the United States Federal Government to grant us our request" the voice continued.

The voice paused. The stewardesses came out of the 1st class cabin, obviously scared but otherwise unharmed.

"Please think of this as any normal flight. Our stewardesses will be more than glad to make this flight as comfortable as possible." the voice said.

One of the agents, Sommers stops in front of Flack and Danny, as they also surrender their guns and their cellphones.

As Agent Sommers walks further down the aisle, Flack gives Danny a knowing look.

Danny's laptop was still hidden in the food tray.


	4. Chapter 4

Her legs had a mind of its own as Lindsay sprinted from the conference room, squeezing her small body amidst the sea of blue uniforms before her, back to her desk to check her laptop.

_LMonroe: Danny…._

No response.

_LMonroe: Danny….._

Lindsay looked out in the hall. She sees Mac and Stella approaching her.

"Is he still online?" Mac asked.

"But he's idle" Lindsay said. "Maybe the hijackers don't know about the wireless connection."

"They'll know eventually" Stella said. "We have to communicate with them before the terrorists find out".

Lindsay typed again.

_LMonroe: Danny…_

Lindsay banged her hand on the table. "Answer, damn it!"

Mac, Stella and Lindsay stared at the screen for what seemed like forever.

Five minutes, nothing.

Ten minutes.

Lindsay typed again.

_LMonroe: Danny, please reply…._

Mac saw Lindsay's hands trembling on the keyboard.

Just then….

_DMesser: Lindsay….._

Lindsay, Mac and Stella heaved a sigh of relief. Lindsay closed her eyes for a moment, perhaps trying her best not to cry.

_LMonroe: Danny, you guys are in danger._

_DMesser: We know, the plane's been hijacked. Some guy named Daniel Fox made the announcement a few minutes ago. Says he's FBI._

"Daniel Fox?" Mac asked. "An FBI agent?"

_LMonroe: We'll have that checked out. Is Flack alright?_

_DMesser: Left him at our seats. I'm hiding in the lavatory. Might hide the laptop here too._

"Tell him not to lose the connection at all costs" Stella said as Lindsay typed the words. "We're going to look into this Daniel Fox character"

_DMesser: They also mentioned other agents, a Sommers, a Cavanaugh, a Melendez and a Finn…… _

Stella turned to leave "I'll get right on it" she said.

Mac's phone rings. "Taylor" he answered. "I'll be right there". He turned off his phone and looked at Lindsay. "The Feds are on their way. This is going to get messy. Keep him online" Mac said as he left the room.

Lindsay just stared at the screen.

_DMesser: Hey, you still there?_

Lindsay touched the keys on the keyboard but didn't know exactly which letters to punch in --- what she should say. "I'm so worried about you", "I feel so helpless that I can't do anything to get you out of there", "I want you back here as soon as possible".

She opted for the simplest reply.

_LMonroe: I'm right here._

Lindsay watched as the cursor blinked. It took a while. She could imagine Danny thinking of what he should say next. Was he scared? Did he and Flack have a plan?

_DMesser: I'm really scared here._

Lindsay felt a stabbing pain in her chest. She wished he hadn't said that.

She opted again for the simplest reply

_LMonroe: I'm right here._


	5. Chapter 5

Mac's office became a command post of sorts as Mac, Stella, Lindsay and Hawkes try to figure out what to do next.

Mac is on the phone, obviously agitated. He seems to be cursing under his breath, trying not to shout, as if threatening the person on the other line.

Stella is on Mac's computer as he searches the FBI database for the names Danny gave them. Hawkes stands beside her, with the names scribbled on his notebook.

Lindsay just stares at her laptop on Mac's coffee table. The name "DMesser" on her contacts list is marked "idle". It has been an hour since her last conversation with Danny and her self-appointed task is to wait for him to come back online.

"There is no FBI agent by the name of Daniel Fox in the FBI database" Stella said. "What were the other names again?"

Hawkes showed Stella his notebook. "Sommers, Cavanaugh, Melendez and Finn".he said.

Stella typed on the computer and several names come up. "I got six Sommers --- two spelled with a "u" instead of an "o", three Cavanaughs, one Melendez and two Finns".

"Let's look at Melendez" Hawkes said.

Stella clicked on Agent Melendez' profile. A picture of a stocky, Hispanic, good-looking man pops up. Stella reads his file. "Agent Jose Melendez. Has been an FBI agent for five years. Anti-counterfeit."

"What's an anti-counterfeit agent doing hijacking planes?" Hawkes asked.

"We have to narrow down the other agents to just one" Stella said. She types another command in the computer. "None of the other agents are in the counterfeiting division of the FBI."

Hawkes looks at the distraught Lindsay. She isn't blinking.

"Lindsay." Hawkes snapped his fingers. Lindsay looked up, as if she had gone out of a trance.

"What?" Lindsay asked.

"You have to keep your head on straight, sweetie" Stella said. "Doesn't these instant messaging centers offer online calls?"

"I already asked Danny. He doesn't have a headset" Lindsay answered.

"It's so frustrating" Hawkes said "As great it is that we can communicate with the plane, we only got eyes, not ears".

Lindsay thought for a second. "Eyes not ears".

"What are you thinking?" Hawkes said.

Lindsay hurriedly put down her laptop as she dashed out the door, almost bumping into Mac.

"Where's she going?" Mac asked Stella.

"Somewhere helpful, I'm sure" Stella answered. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Special Agent Greer with the counter-terrorist group of the FBI" Mac said. "I haven't even seen his face and I already hate him"

"What was the argument about?" Hawkes asked.

Mac looked at Stella and Hawkes. As good as he was at showing his deadpan face, Stella and Hawkes couldn't deny that he was hiding something. Something terrible.

"You know how the FBI works" Mac said. "But I've got my foot in the door so I can stop them. And it all starts with that laptop"

Lindsay rushes back in.

"Where'd you go? I told you to stay online whatever happens" Mac said, almost scolding Lindsay.

"I had to get this" Lindsay said as she hands Mac several printouts.

They were the photos that Danny sent her earlier.

Stella looked at the photo "That's Agent Melendez" Stella said.

Agent Melendez was standing next to three other men. "Sommers, Cavanaugh and Finn perhaps?" Hawkes said.

"Hope that narrows it down" Lindsay said.


	6. Chapter 6

Despite the airconditioning, Danny was sweating profusely as he carefully hid the laptop back in the food tray. Flack had buried his face in his hands.

"What did you tell them? What are they gonna do? Did you tell them about Fox? What did Mac say?" Flack said, almost like praying.

"Shut up!" Danny whispered "I told them everything I know. The FBI already knows about the hijacking. We just need to keep online so we can tell Mac what's going on"

"What if they find out about our connection? Confiscate our laptop? Throw us out of the plane?" Flack was almost high-pitched.

"For the love of God, Flack, get it together" Danny said holding Flack's face like a child.

The agent that stood before them is called back into the cabin. Danny fumbles for the food tray and takes out the laptop, hiding the small machine in his shirt.

"Good, we're clear. I'll be right back" Danny said as he headed towards the lavatory.

As Danny closed the lavatory door, two of the agents come out of the cabin manhandling a small, young woman. They saw that the seat beside Flack was empty so they sat her there.

The woman brushed off her clothes and looked at Flack, distressed. Flack looked at her, concerned. "Did they hurt you?" Flack found his voice.

"No. I'm alright" the woman said. "Joy McVeigh. You are?"

"Don Flack" Flack answered. "Why did they take you out of the cabin?"

"I got hysterical" Joy said. She closed her eyes. Her hands were trembling.

"Why? What did they do?" Flack asked.

Joy tried to breathe. Flack held her hand. "You have to breathe" Flack said.

"It's not what they did. It's what they have" Joy said. She covered her mouth, stifling her distraught cries.

"What? What did you see?' Flack asked.

"They took out a suitcase from the overhead compartment" Joy said calmly. "And in it…."

Flack was himself trembling in fear.

"….. About 100 lbs of C-4" Joy said. "They have a bomb"


	7. Chapter 7

Mac Taylor had only heard the voice of FBI Special Agent Greer but when a tall, Irish looking man in black (The FBI. So predictable. Always in black.) walked up the stairs to the NYPD labs followed by three or four men and women in black, Mac already knew that this was the man he was speaking to.

The terrible conversation Mac had with this man still echoed in his head.

"_I have direct orders from the White House. We will not negotiate with terrorists"_

"_We've found a way to communicate with the plane."_

"_How? You must give us access."_

"_Not until we have all the facts."_

"_This is an FBI matter, Detective Taylor. Once that plane got off the ground, it has become my jurisdiction"_

"_And once that plane hits the ground --- in one piece or not --- it's going to be my messy crime scene. I'd like to prevent that."_

"Detective Taylor?" the Irish looking man extended his hand. "Special Agent Javier Greer, we spoke on the phone."

Mac shook his hand, although hesitantly. "Your presence still doesn't change my stance, agent".

"I didn't come to bargain, I came to seek your help" Agent Greer said "You say you can communicate with the plane. We must know what is going on up there"

"If only to get you off my back" Mac said as he turned to walk them to his office. He started to narrate.

"A few hours ago, a man who identified himself as FBI agent Daniel Fox spoke through the plane's intercom claiming that he and his men have taken over the plane. His other cohorts are Agents Melendez, Cavanaugh, Sommers and Finn who appears on this photo".

Mac shows Agent Greer the photo that Danny had sent Lindsay. "Where did you get this?" Agent Greer asked.

"As we've said we are communicating with the plane" Mac said, snatching the photo from Agent Greer's hand. "We did a background check and there is no Agent Daniel Fox. But the other four agents are registered."

Mac took out a folder and showed Agent Greer the file photos of the four agents. "Melendez, anti-counterfeit. Cavanaugh, internet crimes. Sommers, corporate fraud. And Finn, organized crime."

Greer gave Mac a confused look.

"None of them are with counterterrorism" Mac said "we found that odd too".

"These assignments, they're mostly paper work. Internet crimes? Corporate fraud? I doubt they've even chased a criminal in their life. What are they doing hijacking a plane?" Greer said.

"They're your people" Mac said. "Maybe you can help us do a bit more digging"

Just then, Lindsay comes running to Mac, in a panic. "Mac…." She said breathless.

"Danny…." Lindsay looked at Mac and she could have sworn that he slightly shook his head. Lindsay turned to the man Mac was talking too, and immediately composed herself.

"I've received, uh…" Lindsay said, almost stammering "…information."

"What kind of information?" Special Agent Greer stepped in, showing Lindsay his badge.

"Our source" Lindsay said "has confirmed the threat made earlier today. One hundred pounds of C-4 is on board the plane"


	8. Chapter 8

As Special Agent Greer spoke on the phone, Mac pulled Lindsay aside, into a broom closet. Mac spoke in whispers.

"How did he find out?" Mac said.

"There was a woman from first class, she was brought out to business class, she told Flack" Lindsay said. "The C-4 is in a suitcase".

"Have you dug up anything on this Daniel Fox? He's the only connection to these four FBI agents" Mac asked.

"Nothing yet" Lindsay answered. "But Hawkes is digging deep, down to religious affiliations and school records."

Mac was sweating. He wiped his forehead with his hand impatiently.

"Mac, what the hell's going on?" Lindsay said.

Mac looked up. He hesitated to tell this to Lindsay --- of all people --- but he felt backed up to a wall. Time was running out.

The secretive Mac Taylor gave up.

"The FBI has received orders from the White House to not negotiate with terrorists. A head count was made, only twenty civilians are on board, mostly the plane's crew" Mac said, looking at Lindsay's pained expression. She seemed to know what Mac was about to say. "Three F-4 fighter jets are set to surround the plane in the next three hours."

Lindsay took a step back. She could hardly breathe. She knew where the conversation was going.

"Lindsay" Mac said as he reached for Lindsay's trembling hand "They're going to bring down that plane. And we have to stop them."


	9. Chapter 9

"Your friend keeps leaving us" Joy whispered to Flack.

"He's uh…" Flack stammered "He has a bum stomach. Poor thing. Scared out of his mind."

Joy McVeigh closed her eyes. When she opened them, she made eye contact with one of the agents, the red-haired one that oddly looked like David Caruso. The man shook his head and walked back to the first class cabin.

Flack saw this wordless conversation.

"You know that man, don't you?" Flack said.

"I know them all." Joy answered. "That was Jacob Finn. The blond is Henry Sommers. The Hispanic looking one is Jose Melendez. And the shortest of them is Will Cavanaugh."

Flack dropped his jaw. "How did…. Who is…."

"It's a long sad story" Joy said. She brings out her ID from her purse. "I'm a physicist, I'm a professor at Princeton University. I specialize in weapons."

Flack took the ID from her hand. "You know about bombs?"

Joy composed herself. "What they have is C-4 manufactured by our own military. They might have stolen it from confiscated bomb paraphernalia at the FBI's anti-terrorist branch"

"But none of them belong to the anti-terrorist branch of the FBI" Danny stepped in, almost sitting on Flack, whispering to both of them.

Joy stopped a moment. "What do you mean? How did you know?"

"I uh… I have ways" Danny answered. "Listen, since you know all four of them, then you probably also know their leader, Daniel Fox."

"Daniel Fox?" Joy seemed taken aback by the name.

"Yes, before you came in, a man spoke in the intercom, claiming to be Special Agent Daniel Fox of the FBI." Flack answered. "Only our uh…" Flack looked awkwardly towards Danny "…our sources say that there is no FBI agent Daniel Fox"

"I was in the first class cabin with those thugs, there was no fifth man with them" Joy answered. "And I think I know why."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"I saw the bomb. The detonator on the C-4 is activated by a remote signal. This type of remote detonator can detect that signal within a distance of up to 10,000 feet" Joy answered.

Danny and Flack looked at each other. Joy breathed in painfully before the words left her lips.

"Gentlemen, the man who could flip the switch might not be even on this plane"


	10. Chapter 10

Her legs buckled under her weight. Her eyes were watering uncontrollably. She breathed heavily as she staggered towards Mac's office back to her laptop.

Lindsay had only one thought.

_They're going to blow up the plane with Danny in it._

All of a sudden, she was recounting the last time she saw Danny. It had been a couple of weeks. It was a totally random moment between them.

She was walking along the NYPD corridors, looking down intently on a case folder, studying the crime scene photo of a dead construction worker, when a set of strong hands grabbed both her arms, startling her.

She looked up and she was face to face with the unshaven handsomeness that was Danny Messer. Her initial reflex --- smile.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to read while walking?" Danny had said in a comforting tone.

But then the memory seemed to fade, like it was another lifetime. Lindsay wanted to physically hold on to it but it seemed to escape her like a puff of smoke. How she regretted pulling away from him at that moment!

Lindsay was brought back to reality by a blip on her laptop.

_DMesser: I have new information_

Lindsay wiped the sweat off her cold hands and typed.

_LMonroe: As do I._

_DMesser: We have a passenger that can identify all four agents. She confirms that Daniel Fox isn't an FBI agent, and might not be even on this plane.Who the hell is Daniel Fox?_

_LMonroe: Hawkes is working on that. _

_DMesser: The bomb can be detonated within a distance of 10,000 feet. The remote signal might not come from anyone on this plane. So Daniel Fox might not even be on this plane._

_LMonroe: Where are you getting this information from?_

_DMesser: One of the passengers. Joy McVeigh. A Physicist._

"Joy McVeigh?" Hawkes said, looking over Lindsay's shoulder.

"You know that name?" Lindsay asked.

"I saw a news report on the BBC" Hawkes answered "Dr. Joy McVeigh is a weapons expert, a consultant for Burton Hall."

"Burton Hall" Lindsay said "Isn't that the shady weapons manufacturing group that supported the Republican campaign?"

"Yes, and that same group is under investigation for selling weapons of mass destruction to the communist government of North Korea." Mac entered the room with Stella.

"Joy McVeigh is set to testify in a New York City court tomorrow afternoon" Hawkes continued.

"And you're saying Joy McVeigh is on that plane?" Stella asked.

"That's what Danny said" Lindsay answered. "What does this mean?"

"It means" Stella answered "that Danny and Flack are in even greater danger than we thought".


	11. Chapter 11

Mac charged towards Special Agent Greer.

His rough Marine hands dug into Agent Greer's lapels as Mac pinned him against the wall.

"You son of a bitch" Mac said.

The other FBI agents were about to stop him but Mac brought three big men in blue with him.

"Detective Taylor…" Agent Greer started.

"This is a damn suicide mission" Mac said "You have no intention of saving those people on that plane because you need to kill a single passenger"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Agent Greer said.

"Dr. Joy McVeigh of Burton Hall is on that plane" Mac said, his booming voice filling the room. "You of all people know what Burton Hall is, and who Joy McVeigh is to them"

Agent Greer looked at Mac, startled. "The whistleblower. Her name didn't come up on the list"

"You people bombed the World Trade Center, what's sneaking a woman on a plane?" Mac said.

"Detective Taylor, I advise you not to speak such lies" Agent Greer said "We didn't know that Joy McVeigh is on that plane. And while you withhold pertinent information from us --- such as the means by which you are communicating with a hijacked plane --- we will trust our word against yours."

"Joy McVeigh is on that plane" Mac said in a firm tone "That's why you ordered the fighter jets"

"Those orders came from the White House" Greer whispered.

Mac finally let go of Greer.

"I need time" Mac said "Daniel Fox might not be on that plane. He might be holding the detonator. Estimated distance puts him right here in Manhattan. We can find him."

"I will stall as long I can" Greer answered. "But once my phone rings, those F-4s are going to fly"

Mac looked at Greer. He seemed to not know what is going on.

"Where will you look first?" Greer asked.

"The heart of the matter" Mac said. "Burton Hall"


	12. Chapter 12

_DMesser: You said you had information._

Lindsay just stared into the computer. Should she tell him? That not only was there a bomb on that plane but the very government they serve may have already ordered to shoot down their plane?

The cursor beside her name just kept blinking. Blink. Blink. Blink. Nudging her to say something.

Lindsay looked at the time. It was 8pm.

_LMonroe: Have you had anything to eat?_

_DMesser: I think I had the chicken. Having a bomb under my feet makes me forget things, you know._

Lindsay laughed, though awkwardly. How she missed him.

_DMesser: Have you?_

_LMonroe: Have I what?_

_DMesser: Eaten anything? _

Lindsay smiled.

_LMonroe: Crackers. Cereal. Whatever the hell was on Mac's desk a while ago._

Danny typed a laughing smiley. She imagined him laughing inside the tight lavatory on the plane.

_DMesser: You know, whatever it is that you know, I'm going to find about it anyway. You could at least tell me now while I'm still alive._

Lindsay opted for the safer route.

_LMonroe: The woman you're with, she's a physicist for Burton Hall._

_DMesser: Burton Hall? The weapons manufacturer?_

_LMonroe: She's about to testify against Burton Hall tomorrow afternoon. We think she's the real target of the hijacking._

_DMesser: But she's also a professor at Princeton. And she knows the four agents._

Lindsay sat up. Joy McVeigh knew the hijackers?

_LMonroe: Knew them how?_

_DMesser: They were frat brothers at Princeton. That can be a place to look._

"Princeton" Lindsay whispered.

"You beat me to it" Hawkes marched in. "All four agents went to Princeton, fraternity brothers of Honos et Veritas."

"Veritas" Lindsay said "That's the alias of the guy who called in the hijacking back at the FBI"

"Honos et Veritas. Honor and Truth." Hawkes answered "Every generation of the fraternity has two leaders, one to represent Honor and the other to represent Truth."

"So Daniel Fox represents Truth. Veritas. Who represented Honor?" Lindsay asked.

Hawkes looked out at the hallway, where Mac was still in a heated conversation with the wary FBI agent.

"Special Agent Javier Greer" Hawkes answered.


	13. Chapter 13

Despite the circumstances, Mac felt triumphant. He knew this FBI agent was dirty all along. And he had evidence enough to put him on the hot seat of the cold walls of his interrogation room. Special Agent Javier Greer was now a suspect.

"You know Daniel Fox. You know the hijackers" Mac said as he slid slowly down the chair opposite Agent Greer.

"That was a long time ago" Greer answered.

"Withholding information can both be a federal and a criminal case" Mac said "You can be an accomplice to acts of treason"

"Or I could be a hero" Greer said, looking at Mac menacingly.

"Daniel Fox is not on that plane. You know where he is" Mac said.

"As hard as it is to believe, Detective Taylor, I'm not in on this." Greer answered. "I've come to clean up their mess."

"By gunning down that plane and all 200 passengers with it?" Mac said.

"As you probably know by now, Daniel represented Veritas, I was Honos." Greer said. "But Daniel deceived them."

"Where can we find this Daniel Fox" Mac asked.

"Like what you said, Detective Taylor. The heart of the matter. Burton Hall" Greer answered. "Daniel Fox is a two-faced son of a bitch and our brothers are paying for his dirty work."

"I would like an explanation right about now, agent" Mac said "The clock is ticking"

"When you said that Daniel Fox was involved, I knew right away what this whole thing was. And when you told me about Joy McVeigh, I was even more convinced." Greer said. "You see, Daniel Fox was a political activist in our day. A hardcore left-wing Democrat. Those boys where his groupies."

Greer looked at his fingers. On it was a ring with Greek letters. He fiddled with the ring as he continued to talk.

"What those poor morons didn't know was while they left Princeton to become FBI agents to serve their nation" Greer paused "Daniel Fox became a corporate lawyer."

"For Burton Hall" Mac concluded.

"Only Sommers, Cavanaugh, Finn and Melendez didn't know about it." Greer answered.

"But you did" Mac answered.

"Way too late" Greer said, looking down on his hands.

"Then why would you order for the planes to be gunned down?" Mac asked.

"Don't you see, Detective Taylor? Those boys were manipulated. They think they've hijacked that plane to give the Republican government the finger. They didn't know Joy McVeigh would be on board. They don't know that Daniel Fox is affiliated with Burton Hall. To them, that would be unthinkable" Greer answered.

The agent sighed deeply.

"I ordered the planes to be gunned down…. So that my brothers would die thinking they did it for their country" Greer said. "Honos."

Mac got up from his chair and stood beside Agent Greer.

"I will entrust you with the information you seek if you give me the information I seek" Mac said. Greer looked up to him.

"I can give you Daniel Fox" Greer answered.


	14. Chapter 14

With his hands at the back of his head, Daniel Fox stretched on his couch in his 20 x 30 foot office, seventeen floors up in the heart of Manhattan.

He looked at the treasures in his makeshift home --- flat screen TV, laptop on his desk, his $3,000 dollar suit that warmed his body, a wine bar by the door. Not to mention the lovely assistant outside his door whose ass he touched as often as he liked.

Life is good for Daniel Fox.

He closed his eyes.

Like a bomb that fell from the sky, the NYPD exploded in his office --- led by Detective Mac Taylor and Special Agent Javier Greer --- their gunned trained towards Daniel Fox's face.

At first Daniel was frightened at the sight of six or seven armed men barging into his office. But then he saw Javier Greer. The wicked man gave a wicked smile.

Greer marched towards Daniel Fox and slapped him across the face. Greer saw a blinking light underneath his desk and yanked it.

"Greer!" Mac shouted, but it was too late.

It was the detonator.

"You shouldn't have done that" Fox said to Greer.

"I just turned off the detonator" Greer answered. "That plane can land safely now."

"Don't you think I would have a back up plan?" Fox laughed. "When the receiving module no longer detects a signal from the detonator, it activates the timer."

Mac looked at Fox in horror. "What timer?"

"It becomes a ticking time bomb" Fox answered. "Thirty minutes before detonation."


	15. Chapter 15

_LMonroe: We got Daniel Fox_

_DMesser: Good! And the detonator?_

_LMonroe: We've deactivated it…. So to speak._

_DMesser: Alright. Why are we still in the air then?_

_DMesser: Lindsay?_

_LMonroe: By deactivating the detonator, we set off a timer in that bomb. For 30 minutes._

_DMesser: 30 minutes?_

_LMonroe: You have to get to the pilot somehow. Tell him to fly as close to the Hudson River as he can so you guys can jump._

_LMonroe: Danny…._

_LMonroe: We're doing everything we can…_

_LMonroe: Please say something._

_DMesser: What are you wearing today?_

_LMonroe: Now is not the time._

_DMesser: Just tell me._

_LMonroe: My green cardigan._

_DMesser: The one that looks like it has a big collar but it isn't actually a collar, with big white buttons that you don't button anyway?_

_LMonroe: That's the one._

_DMesser: You look so beautiful in that._

_LMonroe:……_

_DMesser: You know I'm in love with you, right?_

_LMonroe:….._

_LMonroe: Yes._

_DMesser is now offline_

Lindsay felt her world crumble. She looked around for help.

"Mac!!!" Lindsay screamed, her eyes filled with tears.


	16. Chapter 16

"You have a laptop?" Joy McVeigh screamed in Danny's ear as she entered the small lavatory.

"You got me disconnected!" Danny screamed back.

"Give me that!" Joy said.

While the woman walked the corridors, she seemed to be typing something. Danny hurried after her, as did Flack.

Joy entered the 1st class cabin. All four FBI agents pointed their guns at her.

Joy stood her ground. Danny and Flack stopped behind her, fully aware that four cocked guns were in their faces.

Joy flipped the laptop and turned it to them.

On the http address, Joy had typed want to see Daniel Fox?" Joy said "Here's your Daniel Fox".

On the laptop's screen was the organizational chart of Burton Hall. Under their legal department, the four FBI agents saw their hero --- Daniel Fox --- smiling with his white teeth and his charcoal suit --- a legal consultant.

The agents put down their gun.

While the agents stayed glued to their seats, obviously heartbroken, Joy McVeigh inspects the suitcase of C-4.

True enough, a timer had been activated.

25:05.

25:04.

25:03

25:02.

25:01.

"We have 25 minutes to jump out of this plane" Joy said as she made her way towards the cockpit.


	17. Chapter 17

By the Hudson bay, a small crowd had gathered at the Hollywood-esque sight of a plane so close to the ground you could actually touch it.

The plane hovered above the Hudson River at a distance of about 1,000 feet.

The NYPD had scrambled their way through the crowd.

"Keep those people back!" Mac screamed as Stella, Hawkes and Lindsay walked behind him.

Stella looked at a police car across the street. A man was sitting at the back seat, smiling arrogantly. She knew who he was. Daniel Fox.

Hawkes looked at a man from a distance, lighting a cigarette, his back towards the plane. He was probably the only person not looking at the spectacle in the sky. Hawkes knew who he was. Javier Greer.

Lindsay's eyes were in the black sky.

"They're jumping!" someone screamed.

True enough, the passengers from the plane emerged from the plane door, struggling against the pressure being sucked into the cabin. One by one, the passengers jumped into the river.

Lindsay looked at her watch. 8:55pm. Five minutes till detonation.

Lindsay could have sworn that she saw the frame of a man who appears to be Danny jumping off the plane. Her heart leapt. "Oh God" she whispered breathlessly.

Three minutes till detonation.

Two minutes.

One.

The plane explodes into a big ball of fire right in the middle of New York.


	18. Chapter 18

Body bags lined the banks of the Hudson River.

Mac goes up to Agent Greer.

"We found Agents Melendez, Cavanaugh, Sommers and Finn" Mac said "Second degree burns. They didn't make it.. They were probably the last to jump off the plane."

"If they ever jumped at all" Greer answered, putting out his cigarette on the ground.

"We haven't found Joy McVeigh" Mac said.

"Don't expect to find her" Greer said, giving Mac a deadpan look. "You never really know who's working for you or against you"

Greer walked away from Mac. But then he stopped and turned around.

"You never did tell me how you were able to communicate with that plane" Greer answered.

"Unlike you, Agent Greer. I know who to trust" Mac said as he walked towards the ambulance tending to the survivors.


	19. Chapter 19

Lindsay half-walked and half-ran as she moved from one body bag to another, one EMT to another. No Danny.

From a distance, she could see Flack being tended to by an EMT. He was conscious. He was alive.

He was alone.

Lindsay looked through the body bags again. (Why was she even looking through body bags?). She had walked almost the whole stretch of the river's bank. No sign of Danny.

"Medic!"

Lindsay heard a diver scream from the water. The diver swam towards the banks, his hand guiding the head of a floating body.

A medic comes to his aid.

As the body of the man was laid on the moist soil, Lindsay saw the cropped hair and the bent glasses and knew that she had found who she was looking for.

But he wasn't moving.

Lindsay's run turned into a walk as she saw the medic performing CPR on the lifeless body of Danny Messer.

His last words rang in her ear as if those words were spoken, not written. Danny's rugged voice, with his Italian twang, was crystal clear.

_You know I'm in love with you._

Why did she not respond?

Just then, Danny's body began to pulse, water poured out of his mouth, and he began to cough violently.

Lindsay ran towards him as the medic called for a gurney.

She knelt beside him. Danny's eyes opened.

"Wow" Danny said "I'd love to wake up this way all the time"

Lindsay touched him --- his face, his chest, his hair. He was soaking wet. Lindsay didn't care. She planted a kiss on his lips and held his head to her bossom.

"I'm never letting you go" Lindsay said.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Author's Notes: Phew! That was really long! Hope you guys liked this one. My apologies to the Republicans I may have stepped on. I'm a conspiracy theorist ever since the X-files, and shady governments make for great story material.


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